


In Jonghyun's Room; or, Is This the Reality You Wanted

by shikachu (ruethereal)



Category: SHINee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-17
Updated: 2011-01-17
Packaged: 2017-10-14 20:39:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/153240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruethereal/pseuds/shikachu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe manager-hyung snuck in the alcoholic eggnog again...</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Jonghyun's Room; or, Is This the Reality You Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> Better really, really, really late than never <3

Jinki seems to take it as an ominous sign when Jonghyun of all people offers to help him with the Christmas decorations.  He’s lost once again, not the punishment game to decide who would put up the lights and garlands this year, but to Taemin’s winning smile when he asked Jinki to “please take over, just for a little?  I promised Key-hyung we’d make snowmen.”

“Shouldn’t you be losing a snowball fight with Minho,” he asks while they pull a large box from the deep recesses of their closet.

“I can’t exactly trust you alone with a step ladder, hyung,” Jonghyun counters.

“Point taken.”

The corner of Jonghyun’s lip quirks up in triumph and they go back to pulling out parts of the gimpy Christmas tree Kibum insisted on keeping since they first debuted.  Though it’s a fake tree, the thing still manages to shed plastic pine needles and bits of glitter on their sweaters and Jonghyun wonders if this would continue to be a tradition if Kibum had to do it himself.  Jinki goes to work putting together the tree pieces while he sorts through a tangle of lights, plastic wrapped baubles, and the stockings Taemin made them last year (his says Jjong-hyung in obnoxiously pink glitter letters.)  After getting to the bottom of the box, Jonghyun finally finds what he’s been looking for.

“Oho!  Do you know what this is?” he asks, waving it in front of Jinki’s face so close the other boy has to cross his eyes to see the object in question.

“Please don’t tell me that’s been growing in the box since last Christmas, because that’s just disgust-”

“It’s mistletoe!”

Jinki snorts.  “No one’s going to want to make out with you.”

“Hey!”  Jonghyun scrunches his nose up at the thought of    
making out   
with any of his band members.  No, his plan is to hang it up and watch the rest of them flounder about in the awkwardness and mayhem that will undoubtedly ensue.  He makes to hang it above the doorway to their shared bedroom, wobbling a bit on the step ladder as it’s still a bit of a reach for him.  Jinki sighs wearily, chalking it up to another one of Jonghyun’s Bad Ideas.     
Never mind him   
, Jonghyun thinks,    
he’s never appreciated any of my Grand Schemes anyway.

Kibum and Taemin come tumbling in shortly after, bringing in a flurry of freshly fallen power and laughter with a slightly frosted Minho in tow.   There is talk of hot chocolate and Taemin follows Kibum into the kitchen, asking if he’s bought the big marshmallows this time.  Drawn by the commotion, Jonghyun ventures out into the living room and finds Minho brushing off snow from his coat.

“Minho-yah!” he greets, usually goofy grin turning predatory as he sidles up to his intended first victim, “I think Jinki-hyung is having trouble hanging up the lights.  A little help?”

Minho shoots him a look of exasperation but never being able to turn down a request from a hyung, lets himself be pushed in the direction of their bedroom.  Jonghyun is glad his dongsaeng can’t see his face right now, he’d probably give himself away.  As they approach the doorway, Jonghyun calls, “Jinki-hyung!”

“What now, Jonghyun, you didn’t even help me with the- oof!”

Jonghyun couldn’t have timed it more perfectly, Jinki runs headfirst into Minho’s chest, arms windmilling before Minho reaches out to steady him.

“Stop right there!” Jonghyun shouts and they both turn to look at him bewilderedly, Minho’s hands still clasped securely on Jinki’s shoulders.   Jonghyun gestures wildly at the sprig hanging directly over their heads.  Jinki alternates between blinking at him, the mistletoe, and because of their proximity, Minho’s chin.

“Come on Jonghyun, you weren’t being    
serious   
.”

“Holiday tradition is serious business, now get to the smooching,” he says with his hands on his hips and as much authority as he can muster.

Minho glares but upon finding Jonghyun unmoving, takes Jinki’s face between his hands.  He looks entirely put upon when he pulls the older boy forward, hesitates for a beat, then places a gentle kiss on Jinki’s forehead.  Jonghyun whoops and Jinki chuckles nervously, quickly pushing past him muttering something about helping with the marshmallows.

Jonghyun cackles at the way Jinki’s ears have gone pink.

It isn’t until later that evening that Jonghyun catches his next pair of victims, in their pajamas and completely unawares.  Jonghyun is lazing around with Roo in his stomach and his head hanging off the bed.  When he sees them, he flashes them and upside down stop sign with his hand, halting them at the door.  He points gleefully at the mistletoe.

Kibum’s lip turns up threateningly, in a way that would probably terrify Jinki, but years of being best friends has taught him to take it in stride.  The look on Kibum’s face says,    
you’re such an idiot.   
 Jonghyun grins back,    
I know.   
 Kibum rolls his eyes, yanks Taemin towards him, plants a begrudging kiss on his cheek and fixes his hair while he’s at it.  Taemin smiles gently under the attention and Jonghyun ews delightedly.  

  
The next day marks a particularly interesting turn of events when Jonghyun comes back from an early morning coffee milk run and discovers Taemin and Minho, for lack of better words,    
going at it   
in the entrance of their bedroom.  

Not that it’s in his nature to be voyeuristic, but for a couple seconds Jonghyun does nothing but stand there and stare.  He doesn’t know whether to panic or be turned on by the fact that he can see Taemin’s    
tongue   
curling into Minho’s mouth, muffling little noises of desperation while he grasps at the collar of Minho’s coat.  

Jonghyun clears his throat rather meekly.  “Uh, guys?”

It takes a moment for them to pull apart, Minho reluctantly untangling his fingers from Taemin’s hair.  Jonghyun is just relieved to see both tongues have returned to their respective mouths.

“Oh, hi hyung,” Taemin smiles in that infuriatingly innocent way that lets him get away with everything.  “We were just, you know...”

Jonghyun nods dumbly before turning on his heel and marching straight out the door.  He is decidedly in need of more coffee milk, and perhaps the winter air will do something to slow his rapidly beating heart and cool the flush from his face.  Teenage hormones, yes, Jonghyun blames Taemin’s raging teenage hormones for the entire ordeal, though Taemin is years beyond his age and seventeen year olds should    
not   
know how to kiss like that.  Maybe manager-hyung snuck in the alcoholic eggnog again.

The convenience store ahjumma looks hardly surprised to see him.  She charges him full price even after he flashes his most charming smile.  He’s finished with the carton by the time he gets back to the dorm and feeling immensely better in spite of the way his stomach protests.  Jinki walks into the living room with a bowl of cereal as he’s toeing off his shoes.

“Ah, Jonghyun.”  Jinki chews.  “You might want to check on how that plan of yours is going.”

Jonghyun is afraid of a repeat of today’s…incident, but when he rounds the corner it’s only Kibum and Minho standing in the hallway, staring up at the mistletoe.

“Just take it down, this is the stupidest holiday tradition ever.  Jonghyun is   
such an idiot   
,” Kibum scowls.  Minho sort of grunts in agreement and Jonghyun takes offense.  He marches indignantly up to Kibum.

“My traditions are stupid?  Our Christmas tree isn’t even real and it looks like Jinki-hyung ate half of it.  And your Christmas cookies always turn out too crunchy.  And, and you!” he points an accusing finger at Minho.  “Who was the one sucking Taemin’s face off this morning?”

Kibum doesn’t say anything, but he does raise a curious eyebrow at Minho who ignores both of them in favor of trying to rip the mistletoe from where Jonghyun taped it to the doorframe.  At first, this doesn’t strike Jonghyun as a very bad idea, he’s kind of traumatized from this morning.  But as Minho rips off the first layer of tape (he’d put on three) pure stubbornness drives Jonghyun to reach out to stop him.  He’s yet to collect any black mail material, after all.

Minho has a height advantage which translates to Jonghyun’s futile attempts failing to dislodge him from the door.     
Useless arm muscles   
, Jonghyun thinks, but he at least succeeds in batting Minho’s hands away.

“Jonghyun.”

Jonghyun turns when he hears his name, slightly annoyed at Kibum’s lack of honorifics.  The younger boy is leaning against the opposite wall and when he smirks at Jonghyun it sends fear straight to the pit of his stomach, or at least that’s what he tells himself it is.

“Wh-what.”

He follows Kibum’s eyes to the mistletoe and realizes too late what he’s gotten himself into.  The situation is eerily familiar, only he’s very much in the wrong position this time around.  Minho takes a step closer and Jonghyun seems to have lost the connection between his brain and his limbs because he can’t get them to move.  As far as plans go, this one is failing pretty miserably.  Sure there was mistletoe involved, but Jonghyun hadn’t planned on actually kissing anyone.  He just wanted a good laugh and really, it’s not Jonghyun’s fault he thinks Jinki’s embarrassed face is cute.

There’s this look in Minho’s eyes that has Jonghyun scared.  Because the last thing he wants is a hot make out session with one of his band mates.  Not that Minho is hot, or anything.  And Jonghyun doesn’t like sloppy seconds.

“Isn’t there like a, like a one-a-day rule about these kinds of things?  God knows you’ve had your one today, and besides,” he gestures vaguely at Minho’s being, “you’re probably all covered in Taemin.”

Minho snorts, but he backs off and Jonghyun breathes a sigh of relief.  Minho leaves Jonghyun in the door frame but not before threading his fingers through the lead singer’s hair and giving them a thorough shake.  The mess he’s made of it tells Jonghyun he’s being let off easy.

He leans against the wood, closing his eyes and trying to keep his heart from doing that thing where it beats between his ears.  Upon opening them, he’s met with a facefull of Kibum and Jonghyun (almost) screams.  

“Uh, yes?” he asks, a few octaves higher than usual.  Jonghyun tries at a subtle step backwards but solid wood at his back marks the horrific discovery that there is nowhere to run.  

“I was thinking, I haven’t had my one today.”  Kibum is a heartbeat away from being pressed up against him, filling Jonghyun’s lungs with his mere presence.  Kibum is dark eyes and a voice that sends an unconscious shudder through Jonghyun’s body, and fuck if he hasn’t at least once thought about kissing the smooth pink curves of Kibum’s lips.  

“O-okay, if you, you know,” he finds himself leaning into the other boy, “really wanted to.”

“Shut up.”  Kibum is close enough that Jonghyun can feel his breath on his lips.  He lets his eyes slide shut, closes those last few centimeters of distance between them.  

Only, instead of Kibum’s lips, something cold and flat that feels something like Kibums hand is mashed up against his face.  Kissing is    
not    
supposed to feel like this, Jonghyun thinks, and when he opens his eyes, it is in fact Kibum’s palm that’s pressed up against his mouth.  He’d like to ask what’s going on, but Kibum’s hand is in the way and making it difficult to breathe.

“You are such an idiot,” Kibum hisses into his ear and shoves his face away with enough force to send him reeling into their bedroom.  He stomps towards the kitchen without sparing Jonghyun a backwards glance.  “And my cookies are perfect.”

  
Jonghyun and Taemin have different schedules than the rest of the band the morning of Christmas Eve but it only takes a glare before they part ways to tell him Kibum’s ignoring him.  They’ve placed him on some variety show and he tries his best not to think about this newfound urge to kiss his bandmate, nodding at the right places and trying not to let the distraction show in his face.  He’s not sure if he succeeds.

Taemin falls asleep on him on the way back to the dorm.  Jonghyun is too lost in his thoughts to even notice when his dongsaeng begins drooling on his shoulder.  The slow curves and repetitive concrete metal patterns of the highway slowly meld into more familiar scenery and ten minutes later the car stops in front of their building.  Jonghyun gently nudges Taemin awake, watching his eyes flutter open like they do on lazy Sunday mornings when they have a late schedule.  The late afternoon sun casts warm light on Taemin’s bleach-blonde locks and when he flashes Jonghyun a sleepy-eyed smile the singer feels his breath catch.

Jonghyun ends up leaving Taemin at the building entrance, deciding another walk might do something to bring him back to his senses.  He finds himself at the convenience store about to pick up yet another carton of coffee milk, purely out of habit, but at the last moment switches it out for banana flavor.

Last night’s snow blankets the walkway to their dorm, sidewalk grey in some patches and fresh white in places untreaded.  Jonghyun makes his way back slowly, sipping but not really tasting his milk and listening to the reassuring crunch of snow under his feet. 

Three pairs of shoes in the doorway tell him Minho is still filming Oh My School.  Constant rehearsals and year end Daejun performances have finally caught up with him and Jonghyun is suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion.  The couch looks extremely promising, but Jonghyun summons up enough energy to attempt the short journey to his own bed.  What he finds instead of an empty and welcoming bedroom has him thinking he should stop leaving the house all together.  Because Jinki has Kibum’s face in his hands like they’re about to, well what else would they do in that position?  Jonghyun vows never to buy banana milk again.     

It’s like a car wreck, Jonghyun can’t  seem to look away.  Kibum mirrors Jinki, tracing the line of Jinki’s, then curling his fingers around the other boy’s nape and claiming his lips.  Jinki makes a surprised noise but when Kibum pulls away he’s laughing.  The leader draws Kibum in for another kiss, slower this time in a manner more befitting of himself. 

Perhaps some time in the past few days Jonghyun unknowingly lost his sanity.  That would explain the hallucinations.  They’ll probably have to send him off to one of those institutions, he imagines Minho will be disappointed but at least his absence will mean more singing parts for the rest of them.  He wonders what color Jell-O they’ll serve.

To his surprise, hallucination-Kibum feels very real when Jonghyun grabs him by the elbow and wrenches him away from Jinki.

“Ow, Jonghyun, what the hell?”

“You, what are you    
doing   
?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”  Kibum sneers as he jerks out of Jonghyun’s grip.  He casts a helpless glance at Jinki who only half smiles and shrugs uselessly.  

They leave Jonghyun alone and confused and a little angry.  If hasn’t gone crazy then he doesn’t know who to feel more betrayed by: his co-conspirator or his best friend. 

It is the loneliest Christmas Eve Jonghyun has experienced.  He spends most of the evening curled around Roo, waving away imaginary beings and treacherous friends.  The smell from the kitchen, sweet and warm, tells him Kibum is baking.  Jonghyun’s stomach grumbles and knowing Kibum, he’s probably making Jonghyun’s favorite triple chocolate chip cookies purely out of spite.  Pride keeps Jonghyun from joining the others, who are probably curled up in front of some Christmas special.  

Roo eventually gets bored with him and without any ceremony, jumps off of his bed and pads out the door.

“Traitor!” Jonghyun calls to his waddling behind.  He fights back the urge to cry, a pitifully familiar tightening in his throat and stinging in his eyes.  That is, until Jinki walks in.  

Jonghyun scrubs furiously at his face and buries himself into his pillows.

“Go away.”

But Jinki doesn’t seem to hear him because the bed dips with his weight.

“Jonghyun don’t be like this.”  He can hear the soft chide in his voice but Jinki continues, laughing a little.  “We were only messing with you, Key knew you were there the whole time.  And here, he told me to give you this.”

Curiosity sufficiently aroused, Jonghyun rolls over and smiles.  Triple chocolate chip.

Jinki takes his hand and leads him to the living room where the others are predictably gathered on the floor under a large blanket.  Jonghyun nudges Kibum with his toe, cookie still in hand.

“You’re right.  They are perfect.”

Kibum rolls his eyes but when he makes room under the blanket, Jonghyun knows he’s been forgiven.  They fall asleep like that, the five of them a warm tangle of limbs in front of the television.

  
Christmas morning, Jonghyun wakes up surprisingly cold.  He rolls over and discovers an empty bed - well, floor - but isn’t given time to ponder it; a brightly wrapped present is thrust into his hands.

“Uh?” Jonghyun says smartly.

“Just open it.”  The rest of his bandmates are gathered around him and it makes Jonghyun suspicious.  

He pulls slowly at the neat red bow and opens the box, it’s-

“Haha guys, very funny.”

Mistletoe.  But before Jonghyun can open his mouth to say anything else, he’s being kissed so soundly the force of it literally knocks him off of his feet.  It all happens so fast Jonghyun can’t even tell who’s kissing him, but those are definitely another pair of lips sucking gently at his neck.  And when a hand snakes up his shirt, Jonghyun decides then and there that this is a tradition they’re keeping for next year.


End file.
